This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks and Props for Blues vs. Golden Knights
The St. Louis Blues (12-10-1) play the first game in a home-and-home set with the Vegas Golden Knights (16-5-4) on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
The Blues played the first of two games in the desert, falling 4-1 at Mullett Arena in Arizona against the Coyotes on Saturday night. St. Louis has seen the offense yo-yo lately, scoring three or fewer goals in six of the past nine games, while going for four or more goals in 11 outings. It's been hit or miss.
The Golden Knights posted a 4-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Saturday as heavy favorite, while winning on the road against the Vancouver Canucks by the same score on Wednesday. The Golden Knights were shut out three times in six games from Nov. 14-25, and the offense had managed 12 goals in a seven-game span before exploding for four goals in each of the past three contests.
The Golden Knights have been alternating goaltenders, for the most part, with former All-Star Logan Thompson and Stanley Cup hero Adin Hill splitting reps in the crease. Thompson (6-3-2, 2.36 GAA, .918 SV%) is projected to get the nod for VGK.
For the Blues, Jordan Binnington (7-6-1, 2.98 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to be the starting netminder. He was on fire Thursday in his most recent showing, kicking aside 42 of the 46 shots he faced against the Buffalo Sabres in a 6-4 win. While he lost his most recent road start against a Western Conference opponent in Minnesota last Tuesday, it was more due to a lack of offensive support. Binnington stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced then, and he has three straight 31-plus save games under his belt.
They enter the day just 5-11 in the past 16 games on the road, while cashing in seven of the past 22 against the Western Conference. The Blues have also managed just seven victories in the past 26 tries versus teams with a winning overall record.
For Vegas, it is 24-10 in the past 34 against Western foes, while cashing in 14 of the past 18 games against Central Division teams. And VGK has topped St. Louis in 12 of the past 17 meetings overall. As a home favorite, the Golden Knights have covered the puck line in two of the past three games, too.
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NHL Puck Line Bets for Blues vs. Golden Knights
- Golden Knights PL (-1.5, +125 ESPN BET)
As far as the total is concerned, it's been all about the Under for the Blues lately.
The Under is 15-7-2 in the past 24 games overall for St. Louis, while going 10-2-2 in the past 16 games on the road. The total has gone low in six of the past seven games against winning teams, too, while cashing at a 5-0-1 clip in the past six tries against Pacific Division teams.
St. Louis is in the bottom third of the league with just 3.0 goals per game on offense, while checking in a dismal 30th in power play percentage at 10.4%. On defense, the Blues are so-so, allowing 3.1 GPG, while the penalty kill is at 80.4%, with both marks ranking 15th in the NHL.
Vegas has cashed the Under in six of the past seven games overall, and the team has struggled to score goals. It has 3.1 GPG to rank 18th, which is rather surprising for the defending champs, and the power play is average at 21.2%, ranking 14th. Defensively is where Vegas is king, allowing just 2.4 GPG thanks mostly to the exploits of Thompson and Hill, and the penalty kill ranks 6th at 86.3%. As a result, go low, and do so rather aggressively here.
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NHL Totals Bets for Blues vs. Golden Knights
- Under 6.5 (-130 at FanDuel)
NHL Player Props for Blues vs. Golden Knights
As far as the props are concerned for this Western Conference battle, there are a couple of red-hot players on both sides to consider.
Blues center Brayden Schenn has been hit or miss in the scoring department lately, but he has been taking plenty of shots. While he had just a single shot on goal last time out in Arizona, he had 27 shots in a 10-game span from Nov. 11-30, or 2.7 SOG per outing. He is a good bet to notch two or more shots in Vegas.
- Brayden Schenn Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-165 at BetMGM)
It's no surprise that Jack Eichel is one of the better offensive weapons for the Golden Knights. He has two goals and seven points across the past three outings, including a power-play assist in each of the past two outings. At plus-money for just a single power-play point against the Blues, Eichel is a tremendous value.
- Jack Eichel Over 0.5 Power-Play Points (+120 at BetMGM)
